Compound gear-train for water-meters.



No. 642,765. Patented Feb. 6, I900. J. THOMSON.

COMPOUND GEAR TRAIN FOR WATER METERS.

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Hllllllllllll mm lllllll lllllhl trap STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN THOMSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

COMPOUND GEAR-TRAIN FOR WATER-METERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 642,765, dated February6, 1900. Application filed September 15, 1899. Serial No. 730,627. (Nomodel.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN THOMSON, a citi- Zen of the United States,residing at New York, (Brooklyn,) in the county of Kings and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in theConstruction of Compound Gear-Trains for Water-Meters, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to speed -changing spur-gear trains; and it has forits object to provide an improved construction and arrangement of partstending to produce accuracy in operation and durability of use of suchdevices; and to these ends it consists in the features of constructionand arrangement of parts, substantially as hereinafter more particularlyset forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation, partly insection, of a train having my improvementsembodied therein. Fig. 2 is avertical section at right angles to the section in Fig 1, showing theconstruction of the gear-plates and bearings. Fig. 3 is a plan view ofthe upper gear-plate. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of a portion ofFig. 3, showing the blind bearings; and Fig. 4 is a plan view of thelower gear-plate.

My improvements may be embodied in various forms and styles of spur-geartrains; but for the purposes of illustration I have shown them inconnection with a train such as is illustrated and claimed in my PatentNo. 535,643, of March '12, 1895.

It is not deemed necessary to describe with particularity the variousgears shown, as they form no part of my present invention and as theirconstruction and operation are well understood by those skilled in theart, it being suflicient to state that there is a driven mem: ber and adriving member contained in the central series of the gears and there isa double series of pinions and gears meshing with the central series andbeing disposed in approximately the same vertical plane and serving tochange the speed between the driven and driving members and avoid to agreater or less extent the objections of side thrust.

It is well known that it is exceedingly desirable to produce a structurein which there will be the least amount of friction and in which therewill be a uniform amount of friction whatever may be its amount and inwhich there will be the least disturbance of the proper relations of thegears due to wear, all these features tending to efficient operation anddurability of use, as any variation or disturbance of the relations ofthe parts tends to inaccuracy of operation, which in the present stateof the art is a fatal objection,especially when such gear-trains areused in connection with water-meters.

Heretofore the upper gear-plate 2 and the lower gear-plate 3 have beensecured together by separate pillars extending from one to the other;but they are liable to distortion to a greater or less extent, and inorder to overcome these objections I provide each plate with pillarswhich are formed integral with the plates, and preferably these pillarsare of a length so that they are separated about themedium line betweenthe plates when they are in operative position. 'Thus, as shown in thedrawings, the pillars 4 and 5 are formed integral with the uppergear-plate 2 and the pillars 6 and 7 are formed integral with the lowergear-plate 3, and these are shown as being of substantially equal lengthand abutting each other about the medium line 8 between the plates.These pillars are provided with central cylindrical bores 9, into whichare inserted rods 10, these being formed so as to fit tightly in thebores and preserve the pillars of the two gear-plates in properalinement. To look the gear-plates together, the bores in the pillarspreferably terminate in shallow countersunk openings 11, and the lengthof the rods 10 are preferably less than the distance between the outersurfaces of the gear-plates, and the ends of the rods can thus beriveted or upset into the coun tersunk spaces, as indicated at 12, thussecurely tying the gear-plates together and leaving their outer surfacesfree from projections. It will readily be seen that by thisconstruction, the pillars having been made integral with the plates andthe rods fitting tightly in the central bores and being secured inposition, the plates are held in accurate adjustment and alinement andthe gears when once adjusted are free from strain or undue frictioncaused by distortion or change in the relations of the gear-plates. Theouter series of gears and pinions are mounted to rotate freely uponcylindrical ICC pins or rods 13, supported in the gear-plates 2 and 3.It has been found desirable that these pins or rods should be looselymounted in the plates, so that they are free to intermittently revolveunder the influence of the gears freely mounted thereon, and in order toaccomplish this I provide the gear-plates 2 or 3 with sockets or blindbearings 14, into which the ends of the rods or pins 13 are fitted andwhich hold them against endwise and sidewise thrust. In thisconstruction no shoulders are required on the rods or pins, and theybeing free they intermittently revolve with a speed differential to thatof the gearplate mounted thereon, and thereby they present their entiresurface to resist the side thrust and produce auniform wear not only onthe rods or pins, but on the gear mounted thereon, and the consequenceis that there is a material increase in the durability as well as theaccuracy of the operation of the geartrain.

Heretofore it has been the practice to depend upon the friction in thestuffing-box 15 to sustain the stuffing-box or driving-spindle 16 andits attached driving-gear 17; but it frequently occurs that the spindleand its attached parts are pressed downward to the extent of the lostmotion provided, which may result in interfering with the workingmembers oi; the gear-train. If when the train is used in a water-meterthe internal Waterpressure against the end of the spindle and itsattached driving-gear is greater than the friction of the packingmaterial in the stuffing-box, the spindle may be restored to its properposition; but this is an uncertain quantity and does not conduce toaccuracy of operation. To avoid these objections, I provide thedriving-spindle 16 with a shoulder 18 below the upper gear-plate 2, andI furher provide the spindle with a collar 19,which is pressed tightlyupon the spindle and is adapted to rest in the bottom of the bore in thestuffing-box chamber 20. In this wise the end thrust of the spindle istaken either by the collar 19 from above or the shoulder 18 from belowand the position of the drivingspindle is fixed. Furthermore, I form thestuffing-box chamber 20 of such a depth and size that friction on theside of the collar is avoided and the packing material 21 around thespindle is prevented from impinging on the collar. Furthermore, Ipreferably supply the chamber with some lubricating material 22such, forinstance, as graphite or the like-which may fill the chamber around thespindle or collar, providing a suitable lubricant and an automaticpacking for the spindle, as any dynamic movement of the fluid upwardwill induce the free material to flow with it.

Another difiiculty arises in the manner of connecting the driving-pinion23 with the gear-plates so that a satisfactory action will occur. In thepresent case the driving-pinion 23 is formed integral with its spindle24, and

this fits accurately in the end bearings 25, projecting downwardly fromthe gear-plate 3. This spindle is provided with some driving means, asthe arm 27, which is secured to the end thereof in any desired way. Thespindle is provided with a central bore, forming an axial bearing forthe lower and extended ends 26 of the stufling-box ordriving-spindle 16.In this way not only is there an extended bearing-surface provided forboth the driven pinion and for the stuffing-box or driving-piniombutthey are so arranged that they tend to preserve the proper alinement andavoid friction and wear.

It will be seen that all these improvements conduce to the same generalpurposes and objects of the invention in that they tend to avoid unduefriction, produce uniform wear of the parts, and the least wearpossible, tending to durability of use and accuracy of construction.

What I claim is- 1. In aspur-gear train, two gear-plates supporting thetrain, the adjacent faces of the plates being provided with integralpillars extending longitudinally beyond the plates to the medium linebetween the plates with their ends abutting, said pillars having centralbores, and rods tightly fitting the bores of the opposing pillars,substantially as described.

2. In a spur-gear train, two gear-plates supporting the train, theadjacent faces of the plates being provided with integral pillarsextending longitudinally beyond the plates to the medium line betweenthe plates with their ends abutting, said pillars having central bores,rods tightly fitting the bores of the opposing pillars the plates alsobeing provided on their adjacent faces with blind bearings, and rodsloosely mounted in said blind bearings, substantially as described.

3. In a spur-gear train, the combination with the gear-plates and astuffing-box supported thereon having a stuffing-box chamber in its end,of a stuffing-box spindle mounted therein and provided with a shoulderbearing on the under side of the gear-plate, and a collar having abearing in the stuffing-box chamber, substantially as described.

4:. In a spur-gear train of awater-meter, the combination with thegear-plates the stuffingbox and the driving-pinion having formedintegral therewith a hollow spindle and provided with a driving-arm, ofa driven spindle having a bearing in said driving-spindle, the upper endof the driven spindle passing through the stufiing-box, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN THOMSON.

